Detergents which contain a finely divided, water-insoluble, cation exchanging alkali metal aluminosilicate as substitute for phosphate have been described in German Published Application (DOS) No. 2,412,837, as well as U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 458,306, filed Apr. 5, 1974, and now abandoned in favor of continuation application Ser. No. 800,308, filed May 25, 1977, now abandoned in favor of continuation-in-part application Ser. No. 956,851, filed Nov. 2, 1978. The cation exchanging properties of these aluminosilicates manifest themselves in their calcium binding capacity which amounts to at least 50 mg of CaO per gm of anhydrous substance, when tested at about 20.degree. C., and more particularly, within the range of from 100 to 200 mg of CaO/gm. It is preferred to use synthetically produced crystalline aluminosilicates containing bound water which have the composition, 0.7-1.5Me.sub.2 O.Al.sub.2 O.sub.3.1.3-4SiO.sub.2, and in particular those having the composition, 0.7-1.1Me.sub.2 O.Al.sub.2 O.sub.3.1.3-3.3SiO.sub.2, based in each case on their anhydrous form, Me representing an alkali metal such as sodium or potassium. The sodium aluminosilicates are generally preferred in practice.
According to the teaching in the aforesaid German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2,412,837, the cation exchanging aluminosilicates are advantageously used in combination with water-soluble complex formers for the purpose of improving and speeding up the washing process.
In German Published Application (DOS) No. 2,540,510, as well as in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 505,626, filed Sept. 13, 1974, there is described a detergent for cold washing and washing at 60.degree. C. which, in addition to containing from 5% to 20% by weight of the cation exchanging aluminosilicate defined above, contains mainly a surface-active component of paraffin sulfonate and olefin sulfonate and up to 30% by weight of sodium silicate and preferably does not contain any soluble complex formers, particularly no detergent phosphates. This detergent, however, is unsatisfactory in its primary and secondary washing power at all temperatures. The properties of this detergent cannot be substantially improved by the addition of a compound containing active oxygen or by employing it under the conditions of a boiling wash procedure.
Another phosphate-free textile detergent based on the aluminosilicates defined above, so-called wash alkalis, in particular alkali metal silicates and carbonates, certain organic complex forming salts from the group of alkali metal salts of phosphorus-free polymeric polycarboxylic acids and the phosphonic acids, and a surface-active component consisting of nonionic surface-active agents and optionally anionic surface-active agents has already been proposed. This detergent contains from 0.1 to 2 parts by weight of the organic complex former to 1 part by weight of the water-insoluble aluminosilicate, based on the anhydrous compounds.